Artist and stuntman Walker Babington said that the first thing he does after successfully setting himself ablaze is to call his mom in Maryland to tell her everything went as planned. He admitted that he doesn’t always let her know in advance, but he never fails to inform her afterward.

On Sunday night (March 30), near the corner of Royal and Kerlerec streets, Babington set himself on fire in order to produce a piece of artwork. He wore a fireproof ski mask-like hood with goggles. His clothes were slathered with a layer of fire-resistant gel. As the yellow flames consumed his body and the roar of the considerable crowd rose into the cool Marigny night, Babington dropped to pushup position in the street. Assistants quickly lowered an eight-foot wooden panel over his body, composed of salvaged window louvers, doors and other recycled materials.

Burning brightly, Babington swam in the street, attempting to produce a scorched “Fire Angel” on the wooden panel over him. Danny Cosmo, a stunt expert, crouched on the asphalt beside him asking “How you feelin’, buddy? How you feelin’, buddy?”

For 30 long seconds Babington burned on. A woman's voice emerged from the audience chatter.

"Don't forget to put him out," she drunkenly admonished.

Finally, Babington gave the signal that he’d had enough. Assistants then removed the wooden panel and doused the artist with long blasts from fire extinguishers. Orange embers persisted on his clothes. An assistant applied a smothering blanket, but Babington continued to smoke for a few tense moments until someone produced a large tub of water that they poured over his smoldering prone figure.

To a surge of cheers echoing through the 19th-century architecture, Babington rose like The Mummy, peeling off his hood. He and Cosmo stared at the fire angel they’d set out to produce. The hoped-for image may have been a bit vague, but the sooty artifact was impressive nonetheless.

"Do it again," an audience member shouted.

The artist was wild-eyed with residual excitement, as he peeled off his protective clothing in a nearby tent. Babington, who has performed roughly 15 burns of various intensities since he attended stunt man school in Seattle five years ago, said that he was cool at first, but eventually became hotter. One of his legs had received a second-degree burn, but overall he was elated that the stunt went just as planned. He said that occasional burns and blisters come with the territory. A friend eventually arrived with congratulatory shots of whiskey.

Self-immolation wasn’t the only way the New Orleans transplant had produced a fire angel on Sunday evening. Stretching from the ground to the balcony above the new Hyph3n gallery at 1901 Royal St., Babington had erected a 20-foot plywood cutout of a nude woman with wings. Using various propane torches, he added fine detail and shading to the wooden angel. From time to time his torches causes small flames to blossom on the wooden balcony, which caused the New Orleans Fire Department overseers to stare more intently until Babington snuffed the fires out.

Between the time Babington scorched the wooden angel and the time he scorched himself, fire-dancers and fire-eaters took to the street to entertain the outdoor audience. One graceful young man spun flaming bolas, a young woman twirled a fiery hula hoop, another young woman spat fountains of fire into the night sky. The free event was billed as the Fete du Flambeaux and was meant to inaugurate the new Hyph3n gallery, where several of Babington’s smaller flame paintings were on display. A firetruck stood at the ready a few yards away. The spectacle was gorgeous and exciting.

Babington may have still been steaming slightly from his performance, when a child edged close enough to ask if he was OK. She said that he smelled like roasted marshmallows. A second later gallery owner Carly Hammond ran to his side to say that she had completed her mission.

"I called your mom," she reported.

The fire-dancers and fire-eater, whom I adored, will participate in a series of performances at The Redhouse at the corner of St. Claude Avenue and Press Street at 8:30 p.m. on April 11, 12 and 13, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on April 12. Tickets are $10 to $15.

Note: this story was updated with a handful of details at at 3:30 March 31.